Tiger's Dream (Tiger's Curse Book 5) Read online

Despite the varying levels of skill in creating these items, Anamika seemed to award them equal regard, as childish renderings were placed right next to masterpieces. Though there were many pieces displayed, there was still an order to them. It was almost as if each item were placed in exactly the right spot.

  Heading toward the bed, I found her soundly asleep. Her hair was spread out on the pillow and her hand rested upon it. The light dusting of freckles across her nose almost disappeared in the darkness, but her dark lashes and eyebrows were still easy to see in the firelight.

  Shifting, she turned on her side toward me. I inhaled. Night-blooming jasmine and lotus. The flowers in her room almost overwhelmed me with their fragrance, but her warm scent was better than all of them anyway, though I’d never admit that to her.

  I noticed she’d yanked the blanket up so far that her feet stuck out. I reached over to cover them. Anamika was as tall as most men, though I still had a few inches on her, and a formidable warrior in battle. She had muscle but not overly so—she was still curvy in all the right places, and her thick hair was surely the envy of every woman who met her.

  It was those long legs that were the problem, I thought with a smirk. All of those other things were distracting enough, but it was her legs that got her into the most trouble. Her legs were…well, amazing would be an understatement. I had to constantly stave off male devotees who felt the need to worship the goddess a little too much.

  When she sighed softly, I studied her lips and thought she had a beautiful mouth, a mouth made for a man to kiss. It was too bad she preferred using it to abuse men instead. The karkasha, I thought with a grudging smile. Well, not all men. Mostly just me. But even I had to admit that Anamika was a beautiful woman, an actual goddess made human. Any man would want her, would fall at her feet to worship her. If I hadn’t been in love with Kelsey, then even I might have been overwhelmed by her charms.

  What I wanted was a real woman, though. Someone warm and soft and loving. Not some ice princess who looked down her nose disdainfully at me and had a smart remark about everything I did. Anamika was too regal. Too stiff. Too cold. Too…

  The sleeping goddess snored softly.

  Congested?

  I stifled a laugh and imagined how she would be utterly mortified to have me tease her about snoring and would likely zap me with a lightning bolt if she ever found me hovering over her as she slept. Still, I had to give the woman credit. The dark circles under her eyes were plain to see. Anamika was a perfect goddess. She worked hard, she loved her people, and she had a soft heart.

  Gently, I shook her shoulder, hoping she’d been sleeping long enough. She moaned quietly in protest. I shook harder. “Ana. Anamika, you need to wake up.”

  “Go away,” she mumbled.

  “No.”

  “Why must you always bother me when I’m attempting to relax?” she said with her eyes closed.

  “I live to annoy you,” I replied.

  “How lucky for me.”

  She rolled to a sitting position, though her eyes were still closed, and smoothed a hand over her messy hair, mussing it even further. A far cry from the perfect image she preferred in public. I smiled, thinking she looked endearing and vulnerable, like a little girl. Then my thoughts turned to another little girl, one I’d left alone by the side of a wrecked car.

  “Come on,” I said. “Get dressed. Kadam needs to see us.”

  “Kadam? Who is that? A king?”

  “No, he’s not a king, he’s…he needs to explain it to you himself.”

  “Very well.” She rose, stumbled slightly, and poked her finger into my chest. “But after this, you’re going to let me sleep.”

  I took her hand, effectively pushing her poking finger away from my chest, and wrapped her fingers around her hairbrush. “Here. You may want to do something about that Stymphalian-sized bird’s nest on top of your head. Get dressed. I’ll wait for you outside.”

  I’d just closed the door behind me when I heard the hairbrush hit the back of the door. For some reason her reaction made me laugh. I was still laughing when the door opened a few moments later and I was greeted by an alert, vengeful woman with flashing eyes and full lips narrowed in a frown.

  “Am I presentable enough for you now?” she hissed.

  I rubbed my jaw as if considering her appearance. “I suppose. Though your hair is not as shiny as it could be.”

  She angrily worked a muscle in her jaw. I wasn’t sure why I found such delight in disturbing her. The truth was that I’d never seen hair so shiny. The thick waves of it fell in such a way that it tempted me constantly. I wanted to run my hands through the silky strands.

  When we entered the throne room, we found Kadam pacing.

  “Ah, there you are, my dear.”

  He took her hands and kissed each one.

  Anamika smiled graciously but took a step back closer to me; in fact, she was so close I wrapped my hands around her upper arms and leaned down to whisper, “He won’t hurt you.”

  She stiffened and wrenched her body away. “I am not afraid of him.” With a kind gesture, she directed him toward the throne, where she normally sat. “Would you like to sit, my friend?”

  Kadam smiled and said, “No. Thank you. But perhaps you’d better take the seat.”

  Puzzled, Anamika lowered her body onto the throne, and I took a place beside her as Kadam addressed us.

  Kadam rubbed his hands together and paced for a moment, glancing up at us at each turn. Finally, he stopped and held out his hands. “Perhaps I should first introduce myself. My name is Anik Kadam. I am the man-at-arms who once served the house of Rajaram.”

  Anamika flashed me a look of shock. “But you…you’re dead. Kishan and Kelsey spoke of you.”

  “I am not dead…yet. But I will perish soon.”

  “I don’t understand,” Anamika said.

  “You are aware that the Rope of Fire and the Damon Amulet have the ability to allow their user to travel in time and space?” Anamika nodded. “This is how I have come to you now. I am alive in my time and am visiting with you prior to my death.”

  “I see. Go on.”

  Anamika was taking to this time travel business a lot faster than I had.

  Kadam continued, “Though you haven’t met me in this form, you know me in another.”

  Drawing her eyebrows together, Anamika frowned. “What other form?” she asked.

  “I was your teacher, my dear child.”

  In her native language, Kadam spoke of a memorable lesson. “You fell from a rather skittish colt once and vowed you’d never ride him again. Do you remember?”

  Anamika furrowed her brow, nodded, and said, “My teacher soothed him as if by magic, convinced me to climb up on his back again, and guided him around until I was comfortable.” Sitting forward, she asked, “How do you know this? You look nothing like my teacher. What you say isn’t possible.”

  “It is possible, with this.” He took the scarf from his neck, and it twisted and turned until it became its natural form.

  Anamika stood immediately. “Did you steal this from us? You must have entered my room when I was sleeping, for I left it there!”

  Kadam reassured, “And if you returned there now, you would find it in the place you last saw it. This Divine Scarf I have borrowed from my time, and many times I have used it and will use it to assume the role of Phet, your teacher.”

  “Will use it?” I asked.

  He nodded gravely. “There is still much work to be done, and I will need the both of you to help me accomplish it.”

  Anamika looked to me for guidance. “Is he the man he says he is?” she asked.

  “He is. Though we may have differing opinions about the work he intends to give us.”

  After a brief moment of scrutiny, Anamika sighed and then said, “I learned as a young woman to trust my teacher. He always seemed to know things before they happened.” She glanced up at me and then added, “We will do whatever is required of us.”

&n
bsp; When I merely grunted, Kadam favored me with a sparkling gleam in his eye. I knew that look. He was pleased that we’d accepted a challenge. He’d worn a similar expression when I’d been particularly stubborn in weapons training as a young boy.

  Kadam bowed to Anamika and, smiling warmly, said, “An open mind and a willing heart are the beginning of many a great adventure. Let’s get started.”

  Chapter 4

  Tokyo

  Anamika gripped the arms of the pink diamond throne, her tension unnoticeable to anyone but me. I put my hand on her shoulder and tried to send her some soothing energy.

  Kadam began hesitantly, “I’m not sure exactly where I should start.”

  “Perhaps you should begin at the beginning,” Anamika teased lightly, but I still heard the gravity behind her light tone.

  “Yes. Well, that’s the thing. There is no beginning. The timeline twists and turns, arching back on itself like a great ring. I only know where there are missing fragments waiting to be filled—what must be done to complete the circle.”

  “Then tell us what must be done,” said Anamika quietly.

  Kadam shifted and wrung the Divine Scarf in his hands. The colors of the scarf moved as swirls of black stole through the magical fabric.

  When he raised his head, he looked at me and said quietly, “You must create the curse.”

  My heart stilled at his words.

  Anamika asked, “What do you mean by ‘create’ it?”

  Kadam explained, “The curse that changed Kishan and Ren into tigers was not caused by Lokesh. The two of you did it.”

  When Anamika began to ask how, I overrode her and demanded, “Why?”

  Sighing, Kadam pinched the bridge of his nose and said, “There is not one part of this that the two of you didn’t have your hands in. When we visited the temples of Durga, the two of you were there. When Ren and Kishan were changed into tigers, it was you who caused it. The gifts of Durga found in the realms of Shangri-La, Kishkindha, the City of Lights, and the Seven Pagodas were all hidden there by…you.”

  Anamika was rendered speechless and I also reeled from Kadam’s words.

  Stammering, I muttered, “Are you saying that we brought this upon ourselves? That we caused the curse?”

  “Caused is the wrong word. It’s more like…you orchestrated it,” Kadam said.

  What insanity has gripped his mind? We orchestrated the curse? What purpose would we have in doing that? Wasn’t it enough that I sacrificed the life I wanted with the girl I loved to play the role of Durga’s tiger? Is this the universe’s way of paying me back? Not only take away what I want the most but make me be the one to cause my own problems?

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Kadam said.

  Doubtful.

  “You’re questioning everything. Your place in the world. Your purpose.”

  I glanced at Anamika and found her listening quietly, hands demurely folded in her lap. She seemed more relaxed now.

  Of course. To her this is merely another task to accomplish. She doesn’t care if what Kadam proposes ends up destroying my life. The curse of a tiger’s life doesn’t fall on her; it affects me. If I weren’t a tiger, I would…I would what?

  Kadam continued, “I, too, had these concerns but then, when I thought it through, I realized that my sacrifices were for the good of my family, the good of mankind.”

  The good of my family? The tiger’s curse destroyed my family. The good of mankind wasn’t number one on my priority list either, and I was pretty sure that if there was a way for Ana to give up being Durga, she’d go after it wholeheartedly.

  “No,” I said.

  Anamika looked up at me with a curious expression.

  “What do you mean?” Kadam asked.

  “No. I will not curse my past self, my future self, or any other part of myself to be a tiger.”

  “But, son, you must.”

  “Why must I? You said I had the freedom to choose; well, I choose to be free.”

  “I don’t think you fully comprehend what this means.”

  “I know exactly what it means. It means that Ren and I live normal lives. We use the power of the amulet to go back and defeat Lokesh there, which will be much easier since he doesn’t have the whole amulet. Ren can marry Yesubai and become the emperor and I’ll go to the future and find Kelsey. Everybody’s happy!”

  “It doesn’t work that way, Kishan.”

  I folded my arms across my chest. “Why not?

  “Because you cannot go back and change what already did happen. Don’t you see? If you had done it, then why are you here now?”

  I couldn’t answer him. My heart and my mind were telling me to go, now, to prevent the curse from ever happening, but Kadam was right. Something had or would stop me. Otherwise I would have done it. The circular logic was giving me a splitting headache.

  “It grieves me as it does you,” he added. “You must believe me when I say I’ve given this much thought and consideration. I just spent weeks preventing myself from buying Ren or from having others steal him. Leaving him in those cages almost undid me. Trust me when I say this is as difficult for me as it will be for you.”

  “Then what is it you would like us to do?” Anamika asked with a sympathetic glance at me.

  Wearily, Kadam sighed, and for a moment I felt a wave of guilt for lashing out at him. If anyone had the best interests of my family in mind, it was him. I knew that. It was one of the only things in the universe that was a constant. He was using the last days of his life to help us, to help me. I should be a little more grateful. But it was hard not to chafe at the idea of cursing my past self to the lonely life I’d be living. At least Ren had escaped the curse. But me? I’d spend the rest of my remaining years as a tiger.

  Unaware of, or perhaps, ignoring my dark thoughts, Kadam produced a list of times and places we needed to intervene in history to create our present. The list was much longer than I anticipated, and Anamika had immediate questions such as, “How will we know what to do?” and “What if we leap to the wrong time or place?”

  Kadam held up a hand. “The Damon Amulet functions like a…like a… There’s no phrase to describe it except in future terms. It’s like a cosmic GPS. Kishan will explain the concept to you. In a way, it’s preprogramed to go to those places where the timeline must be reinforced. As to the question of what you will do once you arrive, I can’t really say. To tell you might affect what you do.

  “I have learned that allowing things to happen organically usually works out for the best. I must return to my own time now, but I trust that the two of you will make things right. Kishan knows of the places listed, and he will help you accomplish the tasks you must. Use the scarf to disguise yourselves as necessary, for it would be unwise for you to meet your past selves. Bhagyashalin. Good luck to you both.”

  “Wait!” I called out as he gripped his piece of the amulet. “Will we see you again?”

  His mouth crooked up in a wry smile. “Undoubtedly.”

  As he bowed his head, wind swirled around his form, blurring our view of his body. When the wind dissipated, he was gone.

  Anamika pressed her fingers to her mouth. I wondered what she was thinking and almost reached out to touch her arm. The two of us could share our thoughts if we touched and were willing to open our minds, but the brief physical contact just produced the pleasant hum we’d become accustomed to.

  She slid from the diamond throne and paced back and forth on the thick rug as she read through the list. When she was finished, she passed the list off to me and waited impatiently for me to finish reading it. I blew out a breath and ran a hand through my hair.

  “What are we going to do about this?” she asked.

  Cocking my head, I countered, “What do you want to do?”

  “It is much to consider.” She froze briefly as she finally noticed the amulet hanging from my neck. Her eyes darted to mine as if she was trying to read what thoughts lay hidden beneath the surface. When I didn�
��t offer up any explanations, she said, “Perhaps we should discuss this at length tomorrow.”

  I nodded, knowing that I needed to tell her what had happened. I knew she hadn’t missed that there was one event, the very first one on the list, already crossed out.

  Saving Kelsey

  Stiffly, Anamika headed back toward her suite of rooms. Guilt rose in me and I wasn’t sure why. I hadn’t done anything wrong. Yes. I took the amulet without telling her. But Kadam had said to wait until he could explain. Still, I felt as if I had personally betrayed Anamika’s trust.

  As she moved deeper into the mountainside, I chose the opposite direction and emerged from the castle cut in stone onto a balcony that overlooked Durga’s garden. The night was crisply cold and the stars seemed close enough to touch. The scent of lotus and roses wafted in the air and tickled my nose.

  Without pausing in my stride, I leapt over the balcony and landed in a crouch on the grass a few levels below. Fluidly I switched forms and lapped icy water from the fountain. When I’d quenched my thirst, I found a soft spot of ground and settled down for the night. The wind rustled my black fur, but the sensation relaxed me, and I drifted off thinking about the young version of Kelsey.

  ***

  I woke at dawn and was just finishing stretching out my limbs when I caught the scent of jasmine in the air. Anamika was seated at the fountain, dipping her hand in the water and letting it slip through her fingers over and over. She appeared to be deep in thought.

  Lazily, I padded over to her and she ran a hand over my back as I sat at her feet. As she continued to stroke my head and shoulders, I felt her speak in my mind—a special ability we discovered when entering the battle with Lokesh as Durga and Damon. I never got a chance to ask Kelsey or Ren if the same thing happened to them. The trick came in handy when serving as Durga’s tiger. She never had to guess what I wanted to say based on my tiger face.

  What are we going to do?

  I don’t know. What do you think about all this? I answered her.

  I am unsure. Do I wish to undo the past—revisit battles I’ve lost, seek the ones I love? Yes! But if I change history, would I not also risk losing my brother to the demon? If I create positive outcomes where I was once defeated, do I not also lose the lessons I learned and, ultimately, lose my true self?